SCHOOL mentoring has been dismissed as having “little or no impact” despite evidence it boosts pupils’ chances of getting a job and going to university.

Official guidance on the website of Education Scotland, the country’s national curriculum body, has rated the impact of mentoring - where an adult role model supports a pupil through secondary school - as “zero”.

Earlier this year, an evaluation described as “exceptional” a Glasgow-wide mentoring project for pupils with family difficulties.

The success of the MCR Pathways project has already seen it rolled out to Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen and an additional ten councils are signing up.

The Scottish Government also funds a mentoring programme for young people looked after at home called Intandem.

The Intandem website states: “We know how crucial it is for young people to have at least one long term relationship with a positive adult role-model.”

However, Education Scotland’s guidance for schools on closing the attainment gap states: “On average, mentoring appears to have little or no positive impact on academic outcomes.

“School-based mentoring programmes appear to be less effective than community-based approaches, possibly because school-based mentoring can result in fewer opportunities for young people to develop more lasting and trusting relationships with adult role models.”

The report says some studies have found positive impacts for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for non-academic outcomes such as attitudes to school, attendance and behaviour.

But it adds: “There are risks associated with unsuccessful mentor pairings, which may have a detrimental effect on the mentee, and some studies report negative overall impacts.”

Iain MacRitchie, a Glaswegian businessman who founded MCR Pathways, said different versions of mentoring had varying degrees of effectiveness.

But he added: “Whilst there is some debate over how much research has been carried out on mentoring, there is no debate on the impact that a caring adult outside of the immediate family unit can have on our most disadvantaged young people.

“Those in the care system can contend with considerable degrees of instability, uncertainty, distrust and trauma, layered with a lack of control, confidence, hope and self-belief – all through no fault of their own.

“What we have found over 11 years working in the most challenging of city communities and circumstances is that mentoring can have a profound impact.”

When contacted by The Herald, an Education Scotland spokeswoman said the MCR Pathways project was delivering "significant improvements" in outcomes for those in care.

She said: "That has been clearly shown by the recent evaluation of the impact of the programme in Glasgow.

“This finding is in line with the evidence in the ... toolkit. Mentoring programmes that have a clear structure and expectations, provide training and support for mentors, and use mentors from a professional background, are associated with more successful outcomes. The MCR Pathway is a great example of that success."

The MCR Pathways evaluation found the percentage of care-experienced young people staying on at school beyond S4 who were mentored was 79 per cent, compared to a national average of 36 per cent. The proportion going to college, university or a job was 86 per cent compared to an average of 50 per cent.

The report said: “The education outcomes are exceptional when mentored young people’s achievements are compared to national and Glasgow statistics for care-experienced young people.

Mentoring in education involves pairing young people with an older peer or volunteer, who acts as a positive role model.

Mentoring aims to build confidence, develop resilience and character, or raise aspirations, rather than to deliver specific academic skills or knowledge.